Meet the 2021 scholarship recipients

“Being the recipient of a WSNF scholarship will help me continue to overcome the academic, social and economic barriers that many students of color like myself face in pursuing an advanced practice degree. I appreciate the efforts of the foundation in helping remove these barriers through scholarships in order to increase the number of BIPOC nurse practitioner students — so that health care providers are reflective of the populations they care for.”

Shavonne Reynolds received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from UW. Since then, she has been working in the burn unit at Harborview Medical Center — where she is active on the Unit Practice Council, as well as the Magnet committee. Shavonne’s work on the Unit Practice Council has shown her how improving processes can result in improve­ments for both patients and staff. This led her to pursue graduate studies at UW, where she is now enrolled in the DNP program. Her area of concen­tra­tion is the Family Nurse Practi­tioner program, and she expects to graduate in 2023. The WSNF Board of Trustees selected Shavonne to receive an American Nurses Founda­tion schol­ar­ship because of her work to create an infor­ma­tional video to orient newly admitted burn patients to her unit. She was also named as the Judy Huntington Scholar.

“My long-term goal is to work with underprivileged and indigent communities, providing compassionate patient care to people living on the margins. These scholarships bring me one step closer to fulfilling this dream. Thank you!”

Nicole Wooldridge earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and inter­na­tional peace studies from the Univer­sity of Notre Dame, which she used to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector — working in the U.S. and devel­oping countries including Uganda, Ecuador and Honduras. Recently, she and her family lived and volun­teered in rural Honduras for a year, often at a children’s home and medical clinic. While there, she worked as a certi­fied EMT under the direc­tion of the clinic nursing staff. She also secured a grant to install a solar power system at the clinic to create a reliable power source. Nicole is currently pursuing an entry level master’s degree in nursing at Pacific Lutheran Univer­sity and expects to graduate in 2023. Because of her work in Honduras, the Board selected her to receive an American Nurses Founda­tion schol­ar­ship. She was also named the Deo Little Scholar.

“ This scholarship means so much to me. It feels like not only validation that I am on the right path, but also allows me to maintain work-life-school balance. I am able to focus on my studies and work toward my goal to become a family nurse practitioner. Thank you so much for this scholarship!”

Amber Doffing received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Univer­sity of Washington (UW) and has been a regis­tered nurse for over nine years. She works as an OR nurse at Peace­Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham — where she serves on the staffing committee and on the Magnet committee. She is a graduate student in the Family Nurse Practi­tioner (FNP) program at Gonzaga Univer­sity. Amber is passionate about providing safe, high-quality care while being nonjudg­mental and compas­sionate. With her FNP, she would like to work in women’s health. She expects to graduate in 2024.

“ I am honored to have the support from WSNF to continue my studies this upcoming fall. With this scholarship, I can continue working towards my goal of obtaining my doctorate in nursing practice.”

Sarah Meyers received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pacific Lutheran Univer­sity. Since then, she has been working in the emergency depart­ment at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma — where she is passionate about providing individ­u­al­ized care to all her patients. Her experi­ences in the ED have piqued her interest in furthering her educa­tion. Sarah is now enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at UW studying to become an adult-geron­tology acute care nurse practi­tioner. She expects to graduate in 2023. She hopes to use her new knowl­edge and skills to serve others as a hospital inten­sivist and then as a trauma nurse practitioner.

“Being selected as a WSNF scholarship recipient is an extreme honor for me. Being awarded this will help relieve financial strain and allows me to be able to focus more on completing my nursing program.”

Bridgette Gardea gradu­ated from Ramona High School in Ramona, California. She is currently an under­grad­uate nursing student at Seattle Univer­sity where she is working towards a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Bridgette has been volun­teering and helping others since she was 8 years old. For the past several years, she has been a volun­teer at a children’s summer camp on a horse ranch — helping children learn new skills like tending to horses and practicing self care. She expects to graduate in 2022.